SCIENCE EXPLORATION OF EROSION

Think about the two different demonstrations that took place outside this week.

First, explain what we did in the first ditch. Tell about the landforms you saw being formed. Explain how you knew what you were seeing. (example: A valley was formed because a low place between the two mountains was formed.)

Next, the second paragraph will tell about what we did in the ditch at the top of the hill and what you learned.

You will be graded on whether you used all of the vocabulary words correctly and if you followed the directions to form two paragraphs with topic sentences and concluding sentences and had all required information.

Use the following vocabulary in 2 well written paragraphs. Be sure to include an explanation of how you know each of the things you learned. You may type it here or write on a separate sheet of notebook paper. You will have 2 days to work on it before turning it in.
erosion sediment meander canyon delta
river basin deposition slope dam lake

At the first ditch my teacher got a hose and sprayed it on a pile of dirt. As the water hit the mountain made of dirt we saw many things be formed. The water made a river that caused some meanders. We saw the meanders turn around some dams. Dams are things that block the water from moving forward. We also saw some deltas that went around dirt. some dirt even got forced under! I could tell they were deltas because there were fan shaped deposits.The pressure of the hose also caused some canyons and basins. I could tell it was these things because I saw a low, bowl shaped area that was surrounded by higher earth. I could also see the steep sides on a canyon. there were some landslides that caused some pretty steep slopes. It went down one side but did not come back up. My teacher also pointed out all the sediment in the water. Most of it was going with the current but some was deposing. Deposition is when sediment settles down in the water. sediment is fine particals of the earth that might get caught up in a river or a lake. Rivers and lakes are bodies of water. That is a good way to think of erosion which is wearing away of earth with wind or water. Seeing all those things in action really helped me understand the way erosion works.
[second paragraph]
At the second ditch we built dams and we saw if the water would get stopped. We all got to pick partners and mine were Katie S and Ann Wallace. First we found our spot where we would start to build. Then we started gathering twigs and things. Our dam was close to the middle. After we were finished, my group took time and looked at the other dams. I was almost positive that the water would not get to the last dams because they were all great. Surprisingly though, the water got through them all. That day was a great way to learn about dams.